23. Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Three
W hat is he up to?
Carrie immediately recognized the address. It was her grandmother’s house. She smiled. She couldn’t believe her grandmother was a part of this.
As soon as the thought came to her, she reversed it. Of course, her grandmother would be involved. Gran always wanted her to end up with Jackson. She was a big fan of his. Her grandmother always did have good taste.
Not wasting any time, she raced up the stairs. She grabbed a two-minute shower. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to wear. He didn’t say where they were having dinner. Knowing there really wasn’t any formal dining in Bayberry, she chose a nice pair of jeans and a pink sweater.
She blew out her hair before pulling it back in a messy bun. She put on some makeup, and then paused. She was missing something.
And then it came to her. She rushed downstairs to retrieve the beautiful diamond heart necklace her secret valentine had gifted her. Now that she knew it was from the man she loved, she proudly wore it. With one last glance in the mirror, she straightened the pendant. And then she rushed out the door.
When she reached her grandmother’s house, the porch light was on. Carrie rang the doorbell and then tried the door, finding it unlocked. Her grandmother had been waiting for her.
She stepped into the foyer and looked around. She didn’t see her grandmother. “Gran?”
“Back here,” her grandmother called from the kitchen. It was her grandmother’s favorite room in the house.
Carrie hurried to take off her boots and coat. Then she rushed down the hallway to the kitchen. She found her grandmother sitting at the kitchen table.
“Hello, Gran.” Carrie bent over and gave her a hug like she always did when she visited.
“I don’t see you nearly enough these days. You’re always rushing here and there. How are you?”
Carrie stifled her question about the surprise Jackson had left her. Instead, she took time to speak with her grandmother, who was always her biggest cheerleader, even when she’d told her family she didn’t want to go to college. Her parents had not been happy, but Gran had taken Carrie’s side in the heated discussion.
“I’m good.” Carrie sat down. “The grand opening was better than I ever could have hoped for.”
“I’m so happy to hear that.” Gran beamed at her. “I knew you would be a big success.”
Her grandmother’s words meant so much to her. “Thank you for all you did to help me.”
Gran shook her head. “Oh, dear, I didn’t do anything. You’re the one that did all of the hard work.”
“Gran, quit being so modest. Without you as my silent partner, I wouldn’t have a chocolate shop.”
“You don’t have to thank me. From the way I see it, I should be thanking you for letting me in on such a great investment.”
The weight of living up to her grandmother’s expectations and making sure she could repay her settled on her shoulders. “Gran, I don’t want to let you down.”
Her grandmother reached across the table and placed her hand over Carrie’s. “You could never let me down. You’ve made me proud since the day you were born.”
Tears pricked the backs of Carrie’s eyes. She blinked repeatedly. “I love you, Gran.”
“I love you, too, sweetie. But I don’t think you came over here on Valentine’s Day to hang out with your grandmother.”
“Why wouldn’t I? After all, you’re the one who gave me my love of chocolate.” And then she remembered that she grabbed a little something for her grandmother.
Carrie pulled a box of chocolates out of her purse. She placed them on the table and slid them across to her grandmother. “These are for you.”
A big smile lit up her grandmother’s face. “See. My investment is paying off. Feel free to pay me back in chocolate.”
Carrie laughed. “I don’t know if your doctor will approve.”
“What my doctor doesn’t know, won’t hurt me.”
“Gran, I don’t think that’s the saying.”
Her grandmother laughed. “You can’t blame me for trying.” She opened the box and peered at the chocolates. Her grandmother’s gaze rose to meet hers. “Aren’t you here to ask me something?”
Carrie grinned as she nodded her head. “What did Jackson leave me?”
Her grandmother’s brows rose. “How do you know it’s from Jackson? I thought it was from your secret valentine.”
“It’s okay, Gran. I figured it out.”
“Took you long enough,” Gran teased.
“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means I figured it out a long time ago.”
Carrie opened her mouth to argue, but she knew her grandmother was wily enough to win any verbal debate. Instead, Carrie skipped to the important part. “Where is the surprise?”
“It’s upstairs in the bedroom you used to stay in when you were a kid.”
“Thanks, Gran.” She kissed her grandmother’s cheek and then rushed upstairs.
She moved to the spare bedroom. She flipped on the ceiling light. On the bed were two boxes. She opened the first one and was shocked to find a light-pink dress. The material was soft and elegant. She drew it from the box and held it up to herself. It looked like it would fit.
And then she opened the second box. Inside were glittery silver high heels. Once more they were her size.
She smiled and shook her head. Jackson was good, but he wasn’t this good. Now she understood why he’d involved her grandmother.
“Do you like them?”
Carrie turned to find her grandmother standing in the doorway. She couldn’t help but smile. She felt like Cinderella. “Are you my fairy godmother?”
“Me?” Gran feigned an innocent look. “Goodness no. I might have pointed your young man in the right direction, but he picked these out.”
“In exactly the right size?” She knew that Jackson was detail-oriented, but unless he had rummaged through her closet, he wouldn’t have known her measurements.
Gran sighed. “Fine. I might have helped pick them out for you after I learned about Jackson’s campaign to win your heart.”
Heat swirled in Carrie’s chest and rushed to her cheeks. Was that Jackson’s true intention? Did he want her to fall madly in love with him?
She hoped so. Because she was falling fast. She’d always thought they were better off as friends because then there was no chance of them losing each other. But once he moved away to London and their communications dwindled, she learned that there were other ways to lose a person—distance was one of those ways.
This meant if she was going to commit herself to this relationship with Jackson, then she was going to have to make sacrifices. The thought of stepping away from her beloved chocolate shop wasn’t as agonizing as she thought it would be. This surprised her.
And then she realized that perhaps that was because the shop had already fulfilled its purpose—she’d learned how to spread her wings and start her own business. She’d gained not only the know-how but also the confidence to be able to duplicate it. And the second time around she would know what mistakes to avoid.
The more she thought about it, the more she was confident that this was the right step for her. So, if her relationship with Jackson required her moving, she would do it. She couldn’t imagine the rest of her life without Jackson in it. They’d already lost so much time together.
“Are you going to put that dress on?” Her grandmother’s voice drew Carrie from her thoughts.
She looked at the dress now spread over the bed. She remembered how Jackson would tease her when they were kids that she was pretty in pink. Maybe it wasn’t as much teasing as she’d thought. Maybe it had been his juvenile attempt at complimenting her.
Carrie once more picked up the dress and held it in front of her. “I feel like Cinderella getting ready for the ball.”
“Well, let’s not keep your Prince Charming waiting.”
“But I don’t even know where I’m meeting him.”
“All will be revealed in time.”
She wasn’t used to her grandmother being so mysterious. But she was game to play along.
She quickly changed into the dress, which fit her perfectly. And then she slipped on the sparkly heels. Definitely modern-day Cinderella slippers. The shoes were a little snug but not to the point of being painful. Hopefully, they’d stretch out.
She stood in front of her grandmother. “What do you think?”
Gran’s pointer finger moved in a circular motion. “Turn around.”
Carrie did a pirouette. When she stopped, she noticed her grandmother had a frown on her face. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s your hair.”
“My hair?” She reached up to see if some of it was falling out of the bun she’d put it in. Not finding any clumps or loose strands, she asked, “What’s wrong with it?”
“You need to wear it down.”
“Down?” She wasn’t used to having it down. It always got in her way.
She reached up and loosened her hair. It fell over her shoulders. She bent over and finger-combed it. Then she straightened, throwing her hair back and letting it fall naturally.
“Oh, yes,” Gran said. “That’s much better. You’re so beautiful.”
“Thanks, Gran. Now what do I do?”
“You go downstairs. There’s a car waiting for you.”
“A car? Is it Jackson?” She got a giddy feeling in her stomach. No one had ever gone to these lengths for her. She was deeply touched.
As Carrie rushed down the stairs, her grandmother called out to her. “Wait. I need to get a photo of you. I promised your parents.”
Carrie stopped in the doorway and turned around. “Mom and Dad know about my date with Jackson?”
“Of course. By now I’d say the whole town knows.”
Of course. It shouldn’t surprise her. There’s only one thing this town loved more than rumors, and that was a love story. She still couldn’t believe in the beginning that she’d so quickly dismissed Jackson as being the secret valentine.
She wanted to rush out the door, but she waited for her grandmother, who didn’t move as fast as she used to. In the foyer, her grandmother offered her a white dress coat to help fight off the frigid winter breeze.
Carrie turned to her grandmother. “Thank you. You make a wonderful fairy godmother.”
“Oh.” Gran’s cheeks pinkened. She reached out and pulled Carrie close for a hug. When they parted, Gran said, “Listen to your heart tonight.”
And then Carrie was out the door. There was a car waiting at the curb. It wasn’t Jackson’s car. As she approached it, someone else got out of the driver’s seat. It wasn’t until they stepped into the glow of the streetlight that she realized it was Mark. And he was wearing a dark suit and tie. Now she was even more intrigued.
“Mark, what are you doing here?”
He opened the backdoor. “I’m here to chauffeur you to dinner.”
She glanced at the backseat. “I can just sit up front with you.”
Mark didn’t budge. “You should ride back here. Tonight, I am your driver.” When she opened her mouth to argue, he said, “Just go with it.”
She shrugged. “Okay.”
She got into the backseat and found a red rose and a note.
By now, I’m sure you have many questions. Just sit back and relax. All will be revealed soon.
Love, Your Secret Valentine